1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an imaging apparatus capable of self-timer imaging, an imaging method and a recording medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventional cameras with a self-timer are not very user-friendly. When the user does not have a tripod, the camera is required to be placed on the top surface of something, which makes it difficult for the user to set the viewing angle. For example, when the camera is placed on a low table, the photographer is required to set the viewing angle while peering into the camera in a crouched position. Also, when the camera is placed in a location where the back surface of the camera is blocked, such as against a wall or the shelf board of a book shelf, the photographer cannot go around behind the camera and so cannot operate it. Although this problem can be solved to a certain extent by a rotating-lens-type camera, other problems such as a mechanism-related cost problem occur.
In self-timer imaging, the viewing angle is set such that photographic subjects other than the photographer are included within the imaging field, and then the shutter button is depressed. Subsequently, the photographer runs to enter the imaging field as a photographic subject. At this time, if the position at which the photographer has entered is outside of the set viewing angle, the position of the overall photographic subject changes, and as a result the overall photographic subject does not fit within the set viewing angle.
Therefore, a technology to solve this problem has been proposed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (Kokai) Publication No. 2008-092008. In this technology, when an photographic subject to be imaged by an imaging apparatus such as a digital camera does not fit within the imaging field, the photographic subject is detected (three-dimensionally), a warning is issued, and the viewing angle is automatically widened by zooming so that the photographic subject is unfailingly included within the imaging field.
However, all it does for unfailingly including a photographic subject within an imaging field is to automatically widen the viewing angle by zooming. Accordingly, this technology has a problem. For example, if the direction of the digital camera is shifted, a set viewing angle is shifted from the center of the imaging field, and as a result the photographic subject is shown on one side of the captured image rather than the center thereof. Also, if a photographic subject is forcibly included within an imaging field, the viewing angle is unnecessarily widened along with it. Therefore, an image with an intended set viewing angle cannot be acquired.